Kitahara's Flounder, Laeops kitaharae (Smith & Pope 1906)
Illustration of the type of Kitahara's Flounder, Laeops kitaharae. Source: Fig. 12, in Smith & Pope (1906) Proc. U.S. Natl Mus. 31: 459-499. License: Public Domain
Summary:
A uniformly pale brown flounder with no distinct markings, a dark snout, and dark outer parts of the dorsal, anal and caudal fins.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2025, Laeops kitaharae in Fishes of Australia, accessed 05 Jun 2026, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/4696
Kitahara's Flounder, Laeops kitaharae (Smith & Pope 1906)
More Info
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Distribution |
off Sydney, New South Wales. Elsewhere the species is widespread in the Indo-west Pacific: Arabian/Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Thailand to Indonesia, and from South China Sea to Taiwan, China, and Japan. Inhabits found on sandy-mud and broken shell areas. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin 105-114; Anal fin 85-93; Pectoral fin, eyed side 12-16,blind side 10-15; Vertebrae 51-53. Body oblong, very compressed; head very small 5.9-7.3 in SL; eye large; mouth small, asymmetrical, length much shorter than eye diameter; jaw teeth present only on blind side; first two dorsal-fin rays detached from other rays. |
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Size |
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Fisheries |
Taken as by-catch in parts of its range. |
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Etymology |
"This species is named for Dr. T. Kitahara, zoologist of the Imperial Fisheries Bureau, in recognition of his studies of the Japanese flounders." |
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Species Citation |
Lambdopsetta kitaharae Smith & Pope 1906, Proceedings of the United States National Museum 31(1489): 496, fig. 12. Type locality: Kagoshima, Japan. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2025 |
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Resources |
Kitahara's Flounder, Laeops kitaharae (Smith & Pope 1906)
References
Amaoka, K. & Ho, H.-C. 2019. The lefteye flounder family Bothidae (order Pleuronectiformes) of Taiwan, in Ho, H.-C., Koeda, K. & Hilton, E.J. (eds). Study on the fish taxonomy and diversity of Taiwan. Zootaxa 4702(1): 155-215. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4702.1.18 (as Laeops tongkongensis)
Amaoka, K., Munroe, T.A. & Matsuura, K. 2021. Laeops kitaharae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T155092A46635865. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T155092A46635865.en. Accessed on 15 October 2025.
Dor, M. 1984. CLOFRES, Checklist of the Fishes of the Red Sea. Jerusalem : Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities 437 pp. 2 figs.
Fukui, A. & Ozawa, T. 1990. Early ontogeny of two bothid species, Psettina iijimae and Laeops kitaharae. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 37(2): 127-132. https://doi.org/10.11369/jji1950.37.127
Hubbs, C.L. 1915. Flounders and soles from Japan collected by the United States Bureau of Fisheries steamer Albatross in 1906. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 48(2082): 449-496 pls 25-27
Psomadakis, P., Thein, H., Russell, B.C. & Tun, M.T. 2020. Field identification guide to the living marine resources of Myanmar. FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. FAO, Rome, and Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Republic of the Union of Myanmar: i-xvii + 1-694, pls. 1-58.
Smith, H.M. & Pope, T.E.B. 1906. List of fishes collected in Japan in 1903, with descriptions of new genera and species. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 31(1489): 459-499 figs 1-12. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00963801.31-1489.459
Tongboonkua, P., Chanet, B. & Chen, W.-J. 2025. Integrated molecular and morphological analyses resolve long-standing classification challenges in the sinistral flatfish family Bothidae (Teleostei: Carangiformes). Zoologica Scripta Early view: 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1111/zsc.70020
Tongboonkua, P., Lee, M.-Y. & Chen, W.-J. 2025. Species diversity assessment of the flatfish genus Laeops (Carangiformes: Bothidae) in Taiwan, with the resurrection of L. kitaharae. Marine Research 5(1): 161-193. https://doi.org/10.29677/MR.202506_5(1).0006
